Field of the Invention
This invention relates to cargo handling and more particularly to a cargo handling device for a vehicle.
Background of the Invention
Part and equipment storage in vans and small trucks has produced a large number and variety of vehicle mounted racks. These racks have provided a great convenience to the user by keeping parts and equipment organized and readily accessible. The necessity to repeatedly enter and exit the vehicle led to the development of racks and shelving units that were removable from within the vehicle, for use at ground level. These racks generally contained relatively small drawers or compartments to store small parts and or tools. The need for a system to store larger tools, equipment and parts and be able to be accessed external to the vehicle and at ground level has remained unanswered.
There have been many in the prior art who have attempted to solve these problems with varying degrees of success. None, however completely satisfies the requirements for a complete solution to the aforestated problem. The following U.S. patents are attempts of the prior art to solve this problem.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,498,161 Hamilton to discloses a closed vehicle body having a doorway opening and a door for closing the opening hinged to the body for swinging movement about a substantially vertical axis. A lift means carried by the inner face of the door including a load supporting member are provided and a means carried by the door for lowering the member with relation to the door and doorway and for raising the member to a position substantially in line with the bottom of the door and doorway is described.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,982,431 to Moody discloses an automobile camper's kit including an attachment support means for securement to the rear end of the automobile chassis. A cross shaft carried by the support means and a means for rotating the shaft is described. A pair of spaced arms carried by the shaft at opposite ends thereof is disclosed. A hanger is suspended from the arms at the ends remote from the shaft, and a kit body is carried by the hanger. A canopy is positioned over the kit body and separable therefrom, with a pair of legs pivotally mounted at one end of the canopy, and having free ends adapted to supportingly engage the support means.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,113,819 to Bessette discloses a car top carrier comprising in combination; a casing having an open side and a pair of opposite end walls with inner surfaces in generally vertical planes and a top wall. A track is slidably mounted on each end wall for movement generally parallel with the inner surface thereof from within the casing through the open side thereof, with a drawer of a size to be contained within the casing. Sockets are provided on the drawer to receive the ends of the track and support the drawer on the tracks and align the same therewith. A means is disclosed for pivotally and slidably mounting the drawer on the tracks for movement partially beyond the end of the tracks to disconnect the sockets therefrom and fore pivoting when in such position from a generally in line with the tracks to a position at right angles thereto. A wheel is provided at the upper end of the drawer to engage the top wall and roll therealong.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,174,634 to Peck discloses a lifting device comprising a hollow outer member of substantially rectangular section being open at each end thereof and having a first longitudinally extending slot formed through one side thereof. A limit stop means is disposed at each open end of the hollow outer member. A hollow intermediate member is disclosed with substantially rectangular section within and approximately the same length as the outer member and having a second longitudinally extending slot formed through one side thereof. The slots in the hollow outer member and the intermediate member register with one another. An inner member is disclosed within the intermediate member and having a part projecting through the registering slots. Projections are run along substantially the entire length of the longitudinally extending outer edges of the intermediate member to provide bearing members therefore. The bearing members bear against machined inner bearing surfaces formed on the outer member, projections running longitudinally along substantially the entire length of the longitudinally extending outer edges of the inner member to provide bearing members therefore. The last mentioned bearing members bear against machined inner bearing surfaces on the intermediate member and one of the other two members so as to selectively move the intermediate member either above or below the one member. A guide means is mounted on the upper end of the intermediate member and a flexible member is looped over the guide means. The flexible member has the opposite ends thereof secured to the outer and inner members respectively in such a manner that the other of the two other members may be moved by the flexible member either above or below the intermediate member when the intermediate member is moved above or blow the one member.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,826,529 to Wood discloses an automotive vehicle body, such as a pickup truck, with a rack for tools or the like. The rack is in the form of a cabinet and supported on a track. The rack can be pulled completely from the vehicle to provide access to the contents of the rack.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,557 to Paladino, et al. discloses a storage tray assembly for packaged articles where the tray has a plurality of parallel spaced upstanding panels adapted to engage a packaged article. The tray may be fixed on an angled bracket means or be slidably mounted in the bottom of a housing. The tray also may be pivotally mounted in the bottom of a housing and connected by levers to the housing such that when the front of the housing is opened, the tray is raised to a substantially tilted position and moved forward in the housing. Clamping means may be associated with each panel so as to resiliently engage a packaged article to prevent its rattling in the tray.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,953 to Thorley discloses a lift characterized by its ability to be simply retrofitted into a van or similar vehicle of virtually any style construction without requiring the modification of the existing structure. The unit comes in a small, neat package which is hinged on a vertical axis to a door post adjacent the hinge of one of the doors. The mounting plate of the unit which mounts the hinge also mounts a slide in its distal end which slides in a track in the door, so that as the door is opened the mounting plate is supported at one end by its hinge and at the other end in the slide. A horizontal carrier slides outwardly on tracks on the mounting plate, so that the unit clears the vehicle structure, and then a vertical carrier descends from the horizontal carrier by virtue of a hydraulic actuator. A folding platform then swings down on its horizontal hinge along the lower edge of the vertical carrier, and the various extensions and safety flaps necessary for proper operation are then deployed from within the platform structure. In its deployed mode, the platform is vertically moved on the vertical carrier, and is subsequently stowed by drawing the collateral structure into the platform, swinging the platform from its horizontal position up vertically against the horizontal and vertical carriers, with the carrier being telescoped so that all three units define a small package which can slide inwardly on the mounting plate permitting the door to close, so that the entire lift package, when not deployed, is neatly stowed in a relatively small space in the interior of the van.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,377 to Hughes discloses a vehicle storage system apparatus attached to a vehicle and adapted to slide out on a suspension frame to make storage bins and the like more accessible from the vehicle. A vehicle body, such as a panel truck or van, has a vertically suspended framework attached to the vehicle body. The frame has at least two horizontal channels supported thereon and a sliding carriage which is slidably mounted in the channels and supported by the channels and which can be slide from a first position in the vehicle to a second position extending from the vehicle. The sliding carriage has a panel attached thereto with a plurality of storage members attachable to the panel. The panel has attaching openings therein for attaching storage bins. The locking conventional allows the sliding storage carriage to be locked in place in the vehicle and to be released from outside the vehicle for sliding the carriage to a position extending from the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,935 to Dufrancatel discloses an arrangement for shifting a piece of furniture through an opening in a vertical partition, such as a wall of a vehicle. The invention includes a linkage system which maintains the orientation of the piece of furniture as it is moved between two extreme positions, wherein one of the positions is offset to be lower than the other position. When incorporated in a vehicle, the lateral offset between the two extreme positions is approximately equal to the height of the floor of the vehicle above a ground surface so that if the piece of furniture is a kitchen unit, such as a stove, its working surfaces will be at the same height for use inside the vehicle as when used in the outer position outside the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,575 to Stolzel discloses a container for storing cylindrical articles in a readily accessible manner, comprising an open ended channel shaped cabinet body having a bottom and two side walls and rails upstanding from the cabinet body bottom and extending longitudinally thereof. A drawer is slidable in the cabinet body on the rails and having a front end, a back wall, a bottom, and side walls upstanding from the bottom; and cooperating pivoting structure located near the front of the cabinet body and the rear of the drawer to permit a hinging-like rotation of the drawer on the body, whereby to enable the drawer to hang downwardly from the front end of the body for article handling. The cooperating pivoting structure comprises an upstanding, inwardly directed flange member at the front edge of each cabinet body side wall, and a ledge member extending beneath the drawer bottom and outwardly of each of the drawer side walls. The flanges and ledges cooperate to permit the hinging-like rotation, to enable the drawer to hang substantially vertically downwardly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,642 to Zoromski discloses a container loading and unloading system including a first set of cables attached to the front of the container, a second set of cables attached to the rear of the container, and a winch for alternately extending and retracting the cables by rotating a cross bar. A pair of substantially parallel rails is provided for supporting the bottom of the container, with a pivot bar located between and normal to both rails, and a yoke for supporting the pivot bar. To load the container—which may be a camper, a cargo box or a tool box—a cross bar is rotated in a first direction to extend the first set of cables and to retract the second set of cables, thereby pulling the container along the rail members onto a raised surface. The rails pivot along with the container on the pivot bar to assist in the loading operation. To unload the container, the cross bar is rotated in the opposite direction to retract the first set of cables and to extend the second set of cables, with the rails again pivoting about the pivot bar to lower the container onto the ground.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,641,262 to Dunlop, et al. discloses a hydraulic lift apparatus in general and to a hydraulically operated vehicular tailgate lift apparatus in particular.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,827,037 to Wilson, Jr. discloses a trailer chassis for receiving and transporting shipping containers having a platform extension fixedly attached to the rear end and with a liftgate that can be moved between a position level with the platform extension and ground level. The platform extension and the liftgate are each large enough for a loaded pallet handler to maneuver. This construction allows a forklift, pallet jack or other pallet handler to unload palletized cargo directly from the shipping container at various retail locations without the need for an elevated loading dock.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,077,024 to Trueblood discloses a modular cargo system for a truck-style vehicle including a cargo box having demountable pivot points on opposite sides near the front and bottom. Translating drives move along opposite sides of the truck bed and carry translating pivot blocks. Each translating pivot block has a pivotally-connected dual-link mechanism also pivotally connectable at the opposite ends to the demountable pivot points on the cargo box. The dual link mechanisms are of a length to allow the cargo box to sit on the ground behind the truck bed with the translating blocks moved near the tail end of the truck bed. By moving the translating blocks toward the cab end of the truck bed, the dual-link mechanisms articulate at an approximate end point, and the lower links are adapted to guide over the tail end of the truck bed while raising the front end of the cargo box in a manner that the front end of the cargo box clears the tail end of the truck bed. Further movement toward the cab end pulls the cargo box up into the truck bed. Mechanisms are provided for folding the link mechanisms so the cargo box may be fully boarded, and for ejecting the cargo box in several different ways.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,648 to Fretwell, et al. discloses a vehicle lift for use in conjunction with a vehicle to facilitate passengers boarding and leaving the vehicle. The vehicle lift has an improved driving mechanism for moving a platform between a stowed position to a deployed position. The driving mechanism includes a bidirectional motor which is mechanically coupled to a gear box which in turn is coupled to a pinion that is connected to a main sprocket. A longitudinal bracket is affixed to the underside of a top panel of the mounting enclosure and is located parallel to a longitudinal guide bar. At both ends of the longitudinal bracket are sprockets which are coupled by a loop chain. Accordingly, engaging the main sprocket with the loop chain moves the traveling assembly inward or outward with respect to the vehicle. The chain is immobilized by a manual spring biased locking mechanism to prevent the chain from moving linearly along the bracket. Therefore, when the motor is energized, it actuates the gear box which in turn drives the pinion, which in turn rotates the main sprocket to linearly travel on the chain moving the platform to a deployed position and visa verse.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,627 to Winter, et al. discloses a loading device for containers comprising a pair of loading units, each having a telescopic column supported on a bracket so as to be swivelled about a common swivel axis. The telescopic column consists of a lower portion, an upper portion and a column cylinder moving the upper portion with respect to the lower portion. Actuating cylinders are connected to the lower portion on both sides, and the upper portion accommodates an extension arm which can be swivelled about a swivel axis parallel to the swivel axis of the telescopic column. To expand the loading possibilities, the upper portion carries a column head which forms a slot-shaped swivel guide with cam tracks limiting the swivelling of the extension arm. The extension arm has guide members and is pivotally connected with a sliding piece movably seated inside the upper portion which opens towards the swivel guide, where a constriction is provided between the cam tracks, so that the guide members of the extension arm aligned in a position stretched with respect to the telescopic column simultaneously contact both cam tracks, and on the side of the upper portion the column cylinder acts on the sliding piece which can be moved upwards along a path limited by a stop.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,741 to McDaniel discloses a hydraulically operated fork lift device adapted to be installed within the bed of a conventional pickup truck, wherein the horizontal movement of the fork is provided by movement of the truck. When the device is not in use, it is disposed above the forward portion of the truck bed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,558,106 to Sardonico discloses a lifting device for disabled people in wheelchairs and children's pushchairs, comprising a supporting frame, permanently applied to a motor vehicle or a fixed installation, and a sliding foldaway platform moving between a retracted position and an extracted position, with respect to the supporting frame. The platform can also move in the extracted position, between a lowered position and a raised position, by means of an articulated parallelogram linkage system. The movements of the platform are achieved by means of electrical actuators.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,666,643 to Heynssens discloses a frame with a pair of primary tracks positioned on a vehicle. A platform is connected by a plurality of flexible ties to a like plurality of hangers which travel along the primary tracks. An elevator mechanism winds the flexible ties onto reels to rise the platform toward the primary tracks and unwinds the flexible ties to lower the platform. Extension tracks can be removably aligned with the primary tracks to project beyond the vehicle. By moving the hangers onto the extension tracks, the platform can be removed from the vehicle and then lowered to the ground. The reverse process is employed to move the platform and objects thereon from the ground into the vehicle. The extension tracks with the hangers and platform attached thereto can be detached from the primary tracks and placed on a free standing frame to raise and lower the platform remote from the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,811,068 to Johnson discloses a storage caddy having a slidable drawer on which items are stored. Items are presented for removal when the drawer is slid from the shell of the caddy. Items stored in a caddy with a hinged drawer, can be removed by breaking the drawer at the hinge to drop the item toward the ground for convenient and safe removal. A set of golf clubs stored in the caddy in the bed of a pick-up truck are slid from the shell on the drawer. The horizontal plane of the drawer is then broken at the hinge and the bottom of the golf bag moves toward the ground. The golf bag can then be easily lifted onto the shoulder or rolled away. The caddy positions heavy items for easy removal preventing undue stress or injury on those retrieving items from the caddy.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,111,884 to Johnson discloses a storage compartment and integrated tailgate work surface. The storage compartment is easily retrofitable to any standard or light duty pick-up truck bed. A parallel linkage mechanism and integrated power unit can raise and lower the storage compartment without rotation, thereby keeping objects in an initial desired orientation and placement within the compartment. The parallel linkage system also facilitates adjustment of the integrated tailgate work surface to convenient working heights.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,393,665 to Villano, et al. discloses a pick-up truck bed toolbox system utilizing a tool storage box which, in its stored, stationary position, rests on the floor of the bed of a pick-up truck such that it is parallel to the side wall of the truck. Electric motors, which can be remotely operated, are utilized to rotate dual, upstanding screw shafts which are connected via laterally extending cantilever arm members to the front and rear ends of the toolbox. The screw shafts raise the toolbox from its resting position on the floor of the bed of the pick-up truck, to an elevated position over the floor, and the shafts then operate to move the arm members laterally to extend the tool box to a position passed the side wall. The screw shafts can then be activated to lower the tool box to a lowered position outside the truck, adjacent to and alongside the sidewall, thus providing easy and ready access to the toolbox. The same system is utilized to return the toolbox from this lowered position outside the truck, to the floor of the truck bed.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,403,615 to McGlinn, et al. discloses a vehicle lift barrier adapted to be mounted to vehicle lifts and the like that assist in loading and unloading cargo and provide a storage environment in which cargo is less likely to migrate from a cargo area into a passenger seating area or compartment. A barrier composed of a barricade is mounted to a vehicle lift, in some cases example by mounting the barrier to a generally vertical post, mast or the like or mounting the barrier to a lift platform, allowing the lift to operate normally while the barricade obstructs all or a substantial portion of the passage between the motor vehicle storage/cargo area and the passenger area. Where the barrier is mounted to a vertical post or the like on a vehicle lift, cut-out bracketing can be used to mate with the outer cross-sectional shape of the post to inhibit pivoting of the barrier about the post. Other bracket profiles can be used to enhance the barrier's protective advantages. A wrap-around sheet metal bracket configuration creates two flanges per bracket to reinforce bracing and to provide securing belt mounting points for a given vehicle lift. Such barriers can be used in motor vehicles with rear and/or side access-ways where vehicle lifts typically are provided and do not require special tie-downs or other cargo securing means, making such devices especially useful in vehicles that might serve a number of different users and/or that might transport a variety of types of cargo and/or mobility devices.
United States Patent Application 2001/0026756 to Mortimore discloses a lift carried in a van or a similar transporting vehicle to load and unload cargo such as a mobility scooter. A base reciprocable on a track carries an extendable and retractable lift arm assembly which includes a pair of parallel linkages. The lift arm assembly carries an elevator platform to accommodate the load. An actuator moves the base lift arm assembly and platform from a stored position in the vehicle to a loading and unloading position adjacent a rear or side door.
United States Patent Application 2001/0033085 to Bienert et al. discloses a loading system for a cargo space of a motor vehicle, such as a passenger vehicle. The loading system includes a pull-out cargo floor, a guide system for longitudinally moving the cargo floor from a rest position into an extended position projecting out of the cargo space. The guide system, in the area of the end that is extended out of the cargo space, can be upwardly pivoted with respect to the cargo space while the opposite end area is vertically fixed with respect to the cargo space.
United States Patent Application 2004/0228713 to Cohn, et al. discloses a lift assembly including an enclosure secured to the bottom floor of the baggage compartment. A carriage is reciprocally mounted within the enclosure. A lift platform is pivotally coupled to the carriage. The lift platform may be equipped with a variety of safety features, such as a ramp barrier, a bridge barrier, a pair of handrails, and combinations thereof for providing protection and a sense of security for a passenger while on the lift platform.
Although the aforementioned prior art have contributed to the development of the art of vehicle shelving systems, none of these prior art patents have solved the needs of this art.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved vehicle shelving system that provides easy access to the shelving system contents.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved vehicle shelving system that is easy for the operator to use.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved vehicle shelving system that is easy to cost effectively produce.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed as being merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the invention. Many other beneficial results can be obtained by modifying the invention within the scope of the invention. Accordingly other objects in a full understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention, the detailed description describing the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.